He Didn't Have To Be
by xXACCEBXx
Summary: This is a little Father's Day Oneshot written from the P.O.V of Lilly's son Michael. It's Nilly. Based off the UH-mazing song by Brad Paisley.


**I'm notorious for posting holiday oneshots, but this one really wasn't planned. I wrote it Friday night and decided to hold off a few days and make it a little Father's Day Oneshot. This is a little reminiscent of my last oneshot, She Didn't Have Time, but this one is more from the child's point of view. This entire story is written from the point of view of Lilly's son, Michael, so you guys don't get confused. As always, I suggest you guys look up the song, and I request that you review. Insert cheesy smile here.**

**So, help me celebrate Father's Day a little, because it's one of those days I go completely emo. This is the sixth one that I get to go to the cemetery and wish my dad a Happy Father's Day. So, since you can see that I'm already starting to go emo, please perk me up with a little review. It'd be mucho appreciato! I doubt that's a word. Oh well.**

**Disclaimer: I own the characters of Michael, Jaime, and someone else (don't want to ruin the surprise). I do not own any of the other characters , especially Nick. But why would I want Nick if Kevin was right there?**

* * *

**He Didn't Have to Be  
****Lyrics by Brad Paisley**

_When a single mom goes out on a date with somebody new  
It always winds up feeling more like a job interview  
My momma used to wonder if she'd ever meet someone  
Who wouldn't find out about me and then turn around and run _

I was so tired off it; my mom going on and endless line of dates, week after week. I learned early on that I shouldn't get my hopes up. The dates never worked out.

Every week there was a new guy, some that even I, as a child, could tell were completely wrong for my mom. She had horrible taste in guys.

Looking back as an adult, I know what the real problem was. No guy saw a future with a toddler-toting single mom. Sometimes I feel bad that I was the reason mom was lonely for so long, but then I remember it was my father, that is, my real father's fault. I never met the man, and I never plan to.

I just remember those nights spent with babysitters for the first five years of my life. My mom wasn't negligent, really she wasn't. She wanted to find me a dad. And in her defense, I think she thought that she would find one sooner than she did.

I just feel horrible about the first memory I have. I would never tell my mother this, she would feel horrible.

My first memory took place when I was about four. I just remember sitting at the bottom of the stairs in our house, and for some reason, I remember smelling Spaghetti-o's cooking in the kitchen.

I remember my mom being all dressed up, like a princess. I always thought my mom looked like a princess, with her long blonde hair and blue eyes, but that night she was dressed up really nice. I remember her kneeling at the bottom step, smiling.

"Michael, I think this one might work out. Wouldn't that be awesome?" she was smiling, so I smiled too, but she said this every time she left with another man. I didn't get my hopes up.

The doorbell rang and she hugged me, before leaving with another one of the bo-hunks that continuously streamed through our doorway. I distinctly remember never seeing this one again. He had blue hair; four-year-olds don't forget that kind of thing.

I don't think my mom even knows that I remember this stuff. I think she hopes that all my memories take place after she finally found what she was looking for; my dad.

He's the one I'll never forget.

_I met the man I call my dad when I was five years old  
He took my mom out to a movie and for once I got to go  
A few months later I remember lying there in bed  
I overheard him pop the question and prayed that she'd say yes_

I remember the first time I met my dad. I'll never forget the day he walked in the door. That was the beginning of my new life.

I was five-years old now, sitting at the bottom of the steps. Mom wasn't dressed up this time. She was wearing shorts and a T-shirt, but she still managed to look like a princess.

She told me there was a surprise coming, but I had low hopes back then and guessed that there was another guy coming. I would see him come to the door, my mom would try to keep me out of sight, and then I'd never see him again.

Sure enough, the doorbell rang. I remember mom getting really excited, more so than she had been about most dates. She opened the door wide, another first, and revealed another man, but even then I knew he was different.

He was tall and had dark curly hair, and I noticed his smile off the bat. He looked nothing like the bo-hunks my mom usually dated, nor did he look like my mother and I with our blonde hair and blue eyes. But the smile I recognized. It was exactly like my mom's.

He looked at my mom for a few seconds before looking at me. I was afraid for my mom's sake that he would turn around and leave as soon as he saw me, but he continued to smile.

"Can, I come in?" he asked. I remember that because it was another first for my mom's dating pattern. She let him in and he came over to me. He knelt down to be at my level.

"Hey bud, what's your name?"

I smiled. I kinda felt like I should test the waters here.

"Well, its not bud, its Michael. And its not Mike or Mikey either. It's Michael."

I had been told by a few of my latest babysitters that I had an attitude problem. I didn't know what that was, but like any five-year-old boy, I knew exactly what buttons to push.

This guy was smart enough not to falter.

"Well Michael, I'm Nick. I was wondering, I was going to take your mom to see this superhero movie, but she says that you like superheroes more than she does. Do you want to come with us?"

I looked back at my mom. I would be just like one of her dates to mess with my head. But she nodded and I smiled.

"Cool"

The only other thing I remember about that day was the fact I got to hold the popcorn because I was in the middle, so dad, sorry, it was still Nick, called me Captain Popcorn. I also remember it being one of the best days of my life.

A few months later, Nick was at our house, late. We had spent all day playing in the yard, and once it got dark, we came inside and played the new video game he had bought me.

It got to be almost ten before mom was able to pull me away. I remember them sneaking a kiss while I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth. Even though I was around, those two acted like a couple of teenagers.

They both tucked me in, before going out into the hallway. I forgot to say my prayers, so I knelt by the bed. I was horrible at this, I really was. So I knelt there on the ground listening to my mom and Nick out in the hallway. Even then I knew eavesdropping was wrong, but I was quite the troublemaker back then.

I remember the moment I heard Nick ask my mom to marry him. I waited to hear the answer, but it was taking her forever. Suddenly, it occurred to me that I was sitting here, kneeling on the ground, and I started praying to God she would say yes. Finally I heard her answer.

"Yes"

I quickly thanked God for all the help he'd given our family before shooting out into the hallway.

The way dad tells the story, he and my mom were on the edge of a make out session before I came shooting out of my bedroom, hitting him with the door in the process. I always say that he wasn't anywhere near my door because I had to strain to hear my mom's answer.

But there's one thing that both he and I agree on about that night.

That was the night that Nick became my dad.

_  
And then all of a sudden  
Oh, it seemed so strange to me  
How we went from something's missing  
To a family  
Lookin' back all I can say  
About all the things he did for me  
Is I hope I'm at least half the dad  
That he didn't have to be  
_

That was the start of my life really, once Nick became my dad. I think after a while we both forgot that we weren't related. I never questioned the fact that he was my dad, and legally, he was. We all decided that the day they got married, I became Michael Jonas.

To this day, my mom still says that I'm my father's child. It's hard to question, genetics or not.

I have his stellar competitive instinct. I could pitch as well as he could by the time I was ten, if I do say myself. He would tell you different, but that's his competitive instinct speaking.

He never missed one of my T-ball or Little League games. He also managed to make me the biggest Yankees fan on the planet. I remember once, for my eighth birthday, we flew out to NYC and stayed with my Uncle Kevin. He surprised me by taking me to the fourth game in the World Series, and we watched the Yanks beat the Red Sox. Another day I'll never forget.

When I was thirteen, I remember liking this girl who didn't know I existed. Her name was Dani. That's all I could tell you about her, honestly. But there is a point to this story you see.

Dad told me that chicks dug band guys. I was quite the jackass back then, and slowly explained to him that girls were not impressed by guys who played the trombone in their middle school band. He laughed and gave me an ultimatum. If I brought my grades up from the C-average I was at, he would teach me how to play guitar like a pro.

We'll put it this way. In high school I was the lead singer and guitarist for a band called Static Shock, and I was able to quote the lyrics to one of our songs in my valedictorian speech. How many guys can say that? Not many.

That was another thing dad was good for. He was the manager of my band. Honestly, the manager of the band does not have to be at every performance, but ours was. He was always the creepy old guy in the back, but I wouldn't have had it any other way.

_  
I met the girl that's now my wife about three years ago  
We had the perfect marriage but we wanted somethin' more  
Now here I stand surrounded by our family and friends  
Crowded 'round the nursery window as they bring the baby in  
_

It should be obvious that things didn't work out between Dani and I, and I couldn't be happier.

See, about three years ago, I was a junior at UCLA, and I was assigned a group project with this girl. At first, she didn't seem like anything to make a fuss over, but as the project turned into late nights and lunch dates, something clicked. I asked her out right after we presented our project and she said yes.

Four months later, being the impulsive guy I am, we ran off to Vegas. I showed up at my parent's doorstep and introduced her as Jaime Jonas. My mom started talking about how ironic it was that my girlfriend had the same last name as I did, but my dad just looked at me and shook his head.

"Lilly, I don't think that's what he meant. I think he's trying to introduce us to our new daughter-in-law, right Michael?"

I nodded, and mom went into shock. Jaime got a little freaked out, but dad gave her a hug and welcomed her into the family. I couldn't have thanked him enough.

Well, it didn't take long until Jaime and I started talking about kids. I had always wanted a hundred; she had always wanted two, so there was compromise to be made. We decided that maybe we should start with one and go on from there.

So, nine months ago, I came home from work to find Jaime sitting on the couch. She was smiling and watching A Baby Story on TLC. Let's establish that once in a while, my mother's common sense catches up to me. She continued to give me her Barbie doll smile until I realized something was up.

Here comes another one of those moments that I will never forget. She told me to close my eyes and open my hand. She put something long and smooth in it and told me to open my eyes. It was a pregnancy test with a little plus sign on it.

Once the initial shock wore off, there couldn't have been a happier man on the planet. So, that's where I am today, trying to keep my mind off what's happening.

They wouldn't let me into the operating room. There were complications, so Jaime is in their having a C-section, and they won't let me be with her. So here I am.

My mother is pacing along the far wall. My in-laws are sitting across from me in the waiting room. If you're about to ask where my dad his, well, he's right next to me. If you need a mental picture, my head is in my hands, I'm about to have a nervous breakdown, and my dad is rubbing circles in my back, trying to get me to relax. In his defense, this was his first time doing this too.

Then I see him. The doctor.

He walks over to the waiting area and asks for Mr. Jonas as I shoot out of my chair.

"Mr. Jonas, your wife is fine, and so is your…daughter."

"Daughter? It's a girl?!" he nodded and congratulated me.

"Can I see her?" was the first thing to come to my lips.

"Well, your wife isn't conscious right now, but your daughter is in the nursery, right down the hall," he pointed down a hall and I sprinted. My family was somewhere behind me, but I couldn't wait for them.

I reached the plate glass window and looked inside. There were three rows of newborns, about eighteen total, but I knew which one was mine.

She was bundled up in a pink blanket at the end of the third row. She had a full head of wispy blonde hair, mine, and her mother's nose. I never knew how parents could separate a child's features until I saw her mother's nose.

I must have looked like a small child outside a pet shop, my nose and hands pressed against the glass. The nurse must have noticed, because she picked up my daughter and brought her to the window. My daughter.

_  
And now all of a sudden  
It seemed so strange to me  
How we've gone from something's missing  
To a family  
Lookin' through the glass I think about the man  
That's standin' next to me  
And I hope I'm at least half the dad  
That he didn't have to be  
_

I felt a strong hand grasp my shoulder as I started to tear up.

"Dad, she's so beautiful"

"Yeah, she is"

"I'm a father," I said as I came to the realization.

"Yes son, you are"

"She's beautiful"

He chuckled and continued to pat me on the back. I couldn't take my eyes off of her, my little girl. Somehow the nurse managed to flag me down and I watched as she mouthed the words, "Do you want to hold her?"

_  
Lookin' back all I can say  
About all the things he did for me  
Is I hope I'm at least half the dad  
That he didn't have to be _

I nodded as another nurse let me into the nursery. I walked over to the back corner, where the smiling nurse was holding her. Don't mind the pronouns, at this moment there's only one girl on my mind.

As she placed the small pink bundle in my arms, I couldn't help but be afraid. Not only that she would break, I was afraid that I wouldn't be the best father for her.

I was holding out on the expectations my real father set for me. He left, and the one I call my dad has no relation to me whatsoever, but is the best father anyone could ask for. I guess I can only learn, because there is no way I'm leaving this little girl in the hands of someone else.

I was amazed by this creation in my arms. She was so tiny and fragile, yet her chest rose and fell with such strength. For the first time in my life, I was totally perplexed by what God can create.

She opened her eyes to reveal chocolate brown orbs. I couldn't avoid thinking the impossible. Those are my dad's eyes.

Just as I was thinking that, one of the nurses walked up to me.

"Mr. Jonas, have you and your wife decided on a name?"

"Yeah…" I looked up for the first time. "But can my dad come in. Please, it's really important to me."

I let my eyes plead for me, something my mother and wife always said I was good at.

"Well, it's against policy, but I don't see how it would hurt," the woman said as she caved to my mysterious powers.

She went to get him and I smiled. He was about to get the surprise of his life.

_  
Yeah, I hope I'm at least half the dad  
That he didn't have to be  
Because he didn't have to be  
You know he didn't have to be_

"Dad, I have to fill out the birth certificate. Can you hold Nicki?"

He took her out of my arms before looking up at me in realization.

"Nicki?"

"Yeah, she's named after her Grandpa," I said, picking up the birth certificate and filling it out.

"Are you sure? I mean, Jaime…"

"…agrees with me completely. Nicola Jerri Jonas."

My dad knew by now that fighting with me once I had decided on something was a waste of time. He simply stared at her.

"Michael, you wouldn't believe this, but…no, that's not possible"

"She has your eyes," I finished for him.

"No, they look like Jaime's, yes, that's it"

"Dad, Jaime's eyes are hazel. I don't know how to explain it, but those are your eyes, which is good, because between the name and the eyes, now you have a perfect reason to spoil her silly."

It was quiet for a few moments before he looked up at me.

"Michael, you're going to be a great father," he said. The man was psychic or something, because that's exactly what I needed him to say.

I came up behind him and looked at her over his shoulder.

"If I'm half the dad you were to me, she'll be the most loved little girl in the world."

"Don't say that. I'd like to think I was a good father, but I wasn't the best…"

"No dad, you were, and you didn't have to be."


End file.
